As of March 2020 qualified professionals with a recognized foreign academic degree and a concrete job offer can apply for a visa. General information is provided here. You are only considered as a qualified professional if your foreign university degree is recognized or equivalent to a German degree. If you do not fulfill this requirement yet, you are not considered as a qualified professional and you should therefore not apply for this type of visa.

Moreover, you need to find out here if your profession is regulated (e.g. healthcare sector) or not.

If your profession is regulated:

At the end of the process you need to have a “Gleichwertigkeitsbescheid” AND a “Berufsausübungserlaubnis or a ”Defizitbescheid“. Details are available here.

If your profession is not regulated:

You should check if your degree is listed as ”entspricht“ or ”gleichwertig“ AND your university is listed as ”H+“ in ”Anabin“. If one of these conditions does not apply, you must present a Statement of Comparability issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen) – Please note: Further information regarding the possible ”expedited procedure for qualified professionals“ (fast track procedure) can be found here. There is also a separate category in our appointment system for this type of applicants. ZAB) .This also applies also to applicants that have completed their studies in a shorter standard time period of studies.

You are required to present a valid passport (min. validity 6 months).

The following documents must be presented to the Embassy during your appointment. Make sure to handover only complete applications.

• Filled in application form (national visa) + declaration form (Section 54 (2) 8 in conjunction with Section 53 of the Residence Act)
• 3 biometric passport photos (not older than 6 months)
• Copy of all pages of your passport (A4 size copy) ð Motivation letter + CV
• O/L & A/L examination certificates
• Academic degree + other experience certificates for future employment in Germany
• If applicable (regulated profession) ”Gleichwertigkeitsbescheid“ + ”Berufsausübungserlaubnis“ or ”Defizitbescheid“
• If applicable (not regulated profession): print of ANABIN results • Including the information under ”Bewertung“ (on clicking the plus sign) providing information on how the relevant degree can be classified in the German education system (Äquivalenzklasse). O R Statement of Comparability issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen – ZAB).
• Employment contract or letter of intent from your future employer in Germany, suitable to your qualification, including details about salary and working hours as well as full address of the employer
• Declaration of Employment (”Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis“)
• If applicable (fast track procedure): preliminary approval (”Vorabzustimmung“) of the Aliens’ Authority Submitted 3 Although the information in this leaflet has been prepared with utmost care, we cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.
• Information regarding your intended address in Germany (e.g. tenancy agreement or hotel reservation or invitation letter in case of private accommodation)
• Certificate about compulsory health insurance (”Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung“) from German employer valid from date of employment
• If not already included in the compulsory health insurance: a separate travel health insurance for the time frame from arrival in Germany until beginning of employment

Please prepare two identical application sets with the above-mentioned documents copied and bring all your original certificates along. Moreover, every set has to be sorted already in the correct order as showed above!

Fee: EUR 75 (to be paid in Rs., by credit card or cash) – no refund in case of rejection! Conversion into Rs. is made based on the exchange rate at the time of application.

Note further:

False or falsified documents will lead to the refusal of the visa and / or further consequences.

Incomplete applications may result in refusal. Complete documentation does not guarantee a visa approval.

The German Embassy Colombo reserves the right to ask for additional documents and / or call applicant for additional information or interview.

Although the information in this page has been prepared with utmost care, we cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.

Download as pdf here